FAIRFIELD - When they rounded third and headed for home, the 800-plus people attending "A Tribute to Joe Nuxhall" Tuesday were handed a surprise gift - a Joe Nuxhall bobblehead.

The limited-edition ceramic model, showing a young Nuxhall wearing a No. 41 Reds uniform, was the result of more than six months work by Sally Braun, who organized the event for the Fairfield Community Foundation.

Braun had to secure approval from Major League Baseball to use a Reds uniform on the doll.

"We're just a little organization out here in Fairfield, and we had to explain to them who were," said Betsy Dockery, foundation executive director.

Only 1,000 bobbleheads were produced for the event to launch the Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund to be administered by the foundation. A few will be available in return for a donation to the foundation.

Nuxhall ended up with the rarest of the bobbleheads - the original Nuxhall prototype, painted in China and depicting him with sideburns down to his jaw. At the end of the three-hour program, Braun presented it to Nuxhall, 75, who has played or announced for the Reds for 52 years.

Mayor came ready

LOVELAND - Never say outgoing Mayor Donna Lajcak isn't prepared.

Tuesday, in the wake of a controversial vote on whether the city would again try to block a citizens' referendum by taking the case to the Ohio Supreme Court, Lajcak read a typed statement explaining that council had decided to let the ballot issue go forward. That came after a 20-minute executive session, in which one councilman said the vote could have gone either way.

Asked if she somehow knew the outcome of the vote, going into the meeting, Lajcak implied that she had a backup plan in mind.

"Council made no decision before tonight's meeting," she said. "I write both ways."

Lang goes to work early

WEST CHESTER TWP. - Newly elected West Chester Township Trustee George Lang isn't wasting any time.

Though Lang won't take office until the first of the year, when incumbent Dave Tacosik's term officially ends, Lang attended Tuesday's trustee meeting - and a private, closed-door session afterward - as trustees discussed a potential land purchase.

The assistant administrator, Judith Carter, said that Lang's presence in that executive session was permissible by law.

Suburban Insider is compiled by reporter Jennifer Edwards with contributions this week from John Kiesewetter and Sheila McLaughlin. E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com.